Rail-bond.



No. 800,229. PATENTED' SEPT. 26, 1905.

G. A. MEAD.

RAIL BOND. I APPLICATION FILED DEO.1, 1904.

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42in I UNITED sT Es PATENT. oration.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. MEAD, a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio," have invented a new and useful Rail Bond, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail-bonds. The object of the invention is to provide a I construction of rail-bond having terminals wherein provision is made for the efiicien't application of solder between the surfacesof the rail-bond terminal and the rail to which said terminal isapplied.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists, substantially, in-the construction, combination, location, and arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and to the various views and reference-signs appearing thereon, Figure 1 is a view in transverse section of a rail, showing. the application thereto of a rail-bond embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a rail-bond terminal constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention, the body of the bond being broken off. Fig. 3 is an end view of the form of bond shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 4:, 6, 8, 10, and 12 are views similar to Fig. 2, showing various modified arrangements embraced within the spirit and scope of my invention. Figs. 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 are endviews, respectively, of the forms of bonds shown in Figs.

4:, 6, 8, 10, and 12. i

The same part is designated by the same reference-sign wherever it occurs throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

reference-sign A designates a rail or other part to which the bond is to be applied, B the fish-plates, and C the bolt by which the fishplates are secured to the rail. These parts may be of the usual or any ordinary wellknown type or construction and form no part of my present invention.

Reference-sign E designates a rail-bond constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention and provided with a terminal F to be applied to a convenient partof the surface of the rail or other part to be bonded.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 1,1904. Serial No. 234,994.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

wise against the surface of the rail or other part to be bonded to solder the surface of the bond-terminal to the surface .of the rail to which the bond is applied. It has been found advantageous to the efiiciency of the union between the bond-terminal and the rail to which it is attached (although not necessary to the invention) to have a layer of solder between the joined surfaces of considerable more thickness than can be obtained if the entire portion of the surfaces are in contact with no space between. Moreover, it is advantageous and important that the layer of solder which is to be applied-between the surfaces of the bond and of the rail should extend over practically the-whole area of the bond-terminal surface. In this manner the adherence of the bond-terminal surface to the rail-surface. is

greatly strengthened and increased. It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide an efficient means of ape plication of the solder between the surfaces of-the bond-terminal and the rail, to the end v that the bond is efiiciently soldered to the rail. 8

In a companion application, Serial No.

235,157, filed December 2, 1904, is disclosed a construction'of rail-bond terminal wherein provlslon 1s made for offsetting the surface of the rail-bond terminal from the adjacent surface of the rail or other part to be bonded,

so as to provide a space between such surface to receive the solder.

In the present invention I propose to provide means whereby the upper edge of the 0 bond-terminal is oifset to a greater extent from the surface of the rail than is the lower 1 edge of the bond. In practice I proposeto provide means whereby the lower edge of the bond bears directly against the adjacent s'ur- 5 face of the rail, while the upper edge of the bond is offset from the surface of the rail, thereby forming, in effect, a pocket between the surfaces ofthe bond-terminal and the rail to which the bond is applied, suchpocketbe- 1 ,ing closed at the lower edge of the bond-terminal and open at theupper edge thereof. The merit of this construction is that by reason of the bond-terminal bearing at its lower edge against the adjacent surfaceof the rail IO 5 rail. It is obviousv that this result may be 11 accomplishedin many specifically different ways, and l have shown various arrangements for accomplishing the desired object, the generic feature of all of which, however, is the offsetting of the upper edge of the bond-terminal to a greater extent or distance than the lower edge of the bond-terminal.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown one arrangement wherein the surface of the bond-terminal which is to be applied to the rail is provided with ribs or projections (indicated at Gr) arranged to extend transversely across the surface of the bond-terminal, but which are taperedthat is to say, these ribs or projections, which are parallel with respect to each other, extend or project from the surface of the bond-terminal to a greater extent at the upper edge of such terminal and gradually approach the surface of the bond-terminal toward the lower edge thereof, finally merging at or adjacent to the lower edge of the terminal into the surface of the terminal, thereby enabling the terminal surface to bear against the rail-surface when the bond is applied to the rail at the lower edge of the terminal, but leaving the upper edge of the terminal offset from the surface of the rail a sufficient distance to provide a pocket between such surfaces to receive solder therein.

In Figs I and 5 I have shown another arrangement embodying the principles 'of my invention wherein the surface of the bondterminal is provided with a series of ribs or projections G, extending parallel with respect to each other, but lengthwise of the bond-terminal surface instead of transversely thereacross, as in the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3; but the upper row of such ribs or projections extends or projects to a greater extent from the surface of the bond-terminal than does the lowermost row, thereby enabling the bond-terminal surface at its lower edge to bear against the adjacent surface of the rail to which the bond is to be applied, While leaving the upper edge of the bondterminal offset to a greater extent from the surface of the rail. Similarly, in Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown the surface of the bond-terminal provided with a series of star-shaped projections G which extend or project to a decreasing extent from the upper toward the lower edge of the bond-terminal, and in Fig. 8 I have shown the bond-terminal provided with studs or pins G which similarly project to a greater extent to the surface of the bond-terminal at the upper edge thereof than at the lower edge thereof, and in Figs. 10 and 11 I have shown the bond-terminal provided with a series of ribs or projections G arranged in intersecting or criss-cross relation with respect to each other, but which are similarly tapering from the upper toward the lower edge of the bond-terminal, merging at the lower edge of the terminal practically into the surface of the terminal, and in Figs. 12 and 13 I have shown projections on the bond-terminal surface in the form of letters.

These letters may be of any desired style or type stamped into or upon the bond-terminal surface which is to be applied to the rail or other part to be bonded and, if desired, may be the name of the manufacturerof the bond, thereby in addition to serving the purposeof projections to offset the bond-terminal surface from the rail constituting also an advertisement. In this case the letters project or extend from the surface of the bond-terminal to a decreasing extent from the upper toward the lower edge of the terminal, similar to the arrangements above described with reference to the projections, ribs, or the like, the letters finally merging at the lower edge of the terminal practically into the surface of the terminal.

It is obvious that many other specifically different forms and constructions may be suggested and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire, therefore, to be limited or restricted to the exact construction shown and described. It is equally obvious that the particular form or construction of the bond-body is immaterial so far as my invention is concerned and may be varied throughout a wide range without departure from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware of Patent No. 753,759, issued March 1, 1904c, to E. G. Thomas, wherein is disclosed a rail-bond having fiat terminals to be applied to the surface of a rail and a supplementary strip of metal soldered to the bond-terminal surface and which strip projects beyond the edge of the rail and is provided with a narrow groove to form a channel for solder, and I therefore do not claim such construction herein.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention and a construction embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rail bond terminal provided with means for offsetting its surface from the railsurface in a graduated degree from one to the other edge thereof.

2. A rail-bond having a terminal adapted to be applied to the surface of a rail or other part to be bonded, in combination with means for offsetting the surface of the rail-bond terminal in such a manner that substantially the entire surface of the rail-bond adjacent to the railsurface will be at an angle with the rail-surface to which it is attached.

3. A rail-bond having a terminal adapted to be applied to a rail or other part to be bonded, the surface of said bond-terminal having projections to offset the same from the surface of the rail or other part to which the bond is to be applied, said projections being of increasing extent from the lower toward the upper edge of the terminal.

4:. A rail-bond having a terminal adapted to IIO extending transversely across the terminal surface and increaslng in extent of pro ec lilOIlS from the lower toward the upper edge of the terminal. v

6. A rail-bond havinga terminal adapted to be applied to the surface of arail or other part to be bonded, the surface of said bond-terminal to be applied to the rail or other part to be bonded having projections to offset the same from the surface of the rail or other part to be bonded, said projections being of decreasing height from the one edge of the terminal. finally merging into the surface of the terminal at the other edge thereof.

7; A rail-bond having a terminal adapted to be applied to a rail or other part to be bonded, the surface of the bond-terminal at its lower edge adapted to bear directly against the surface of the rail or other part to be bonded, said terminal surface having ribs or projections of increasing extent from the lower toward the upper edge thereof to offset the upper edge of such terminal from the surface of the rail or other part to form a pocket therebetween to receive solder.

In Witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand, this 28th day of November, 1904,i-n the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE A. MEAD.

Witnesses:

H.C. SGH'WABLE, F. W. MELLER. 

